"Guardiola can't be accused of thinking like a Taliban"

Before becoming a journalist, Martí Perarnau was an Olympic athlete and Spanish high jump record holder. He has just published a book entitled 'Herr Pep', a journey to the heart of Pep Guardiola.

"Guardiola listens to his coaching staff and players a lot, he's constantly consulting them. In stark contrast to what most people think, he doesn't think like a Taliban. I recall during a match against Stuttgart he said: 'Lads, get up the wing, cross the ball into the box and get a head on the end of it.' They won and afterwards I said to him: 'You didn't play Pep-style.' He replied: 'Come on, we had to win.' In spite of this, he still believes in the same way of playing," Perarnau remarked.

"Pep has a game plan in his head, a team development plan, a bible that he follows bit by bit, day by day, in such a way that the players learn gradually, taking it on board as they go," the former athlete explained.

"The match against Real Madrid in the Allianz Arena was a hard blow for him. But it was still only a defeat, something that happens to every coach, and Pep had it coming," Perarnau said of the four-nil defeat in the Champions League last season.

"Pep gives off a lot of energy all the time, which takes its toll physically and mentally. This leads me to think he can't go on coaching in this way for too long. He is 43 now, and I can't see him managing another team in 10 years' time," Perarnau said.